Desk with detachable leg portions



y 1963 J.- H. SCHUETTE 3,088,785

DESK WITH DETACHABLE LEG PORTIONS Filed Feb 13; 19s:

a v a YkZ/ l 1/ 5 I #5 INVENTOR. Q JOHN H .fikx/asrrs BY a AM, m rm atent Patented May 7, 1963 fiice 3,088,785 DESK WITH DETACHABLE LEG PORTIONS John H. Schuette, Manitowoc, Wis., assignor to Invincible Metal Furniture Company, Manitowoc, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Feb. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 88,756 3 Claims. (Cl. 312-195) This invention relates to a desk with detachable leg portions.

The object of the invention is primarily to facilitate desk transportation. Conventionally desks are expensive to ship and difiicul-t to manipulate through doorways when they arrive at their destination. The present desk uses pedestals which terminate materially above floor levelv Permanent leg portions are permanently attached to the desk top and pedestals. Other separable leg portions project downwardly below the pedestal and are in freely detachable telescopic engagement with the permanent leg portions of the desk. The separable leg portions are desirably removable manually, being desirably fitted for frictional retention in sockets provided by the permanent leg portions. Thus, they remain in position during normal handling of the desk but may readily be removed without tools to provide material reduction in the overall height of the desk, where-by to reduce shipping costs and to permit the desk to pass readily through a narrow door if the desk is turned on end or on its back.

For shipment, the removal of the separable leg portions so greatly reduces the height of the desk that the permanent desk structure can be accommodated in a car-ton as much as a third smaller than that which has been previously required for a desk of comparable size.

In addition to these advantages, the desk of the present invention is so designed that its height may readily be adjusted by the user without tools, the height adjustment being effected in small increments of change by the provision of collars of differing height fitted between the permanent and the separable portions of the several legs.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing a desk embodying the invention, one of the separable legs and its spacer collar being shown separated from the rest of the desk.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary detail view taken in section on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detail view taken in section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

The desk of the present invention includes a desk top 5, a pedestal 6 and permanently attached leg portions 7 and 8 which, in this particular structure, lie wholly outside of the pedestal side member 9 and are connected by an end panel 10. Needless to say, the construction of the pedestal 6 is immaterial to the present invention, as is the manner in which the permanent leg portions 7 and 8 are attached to the top. Pedestal drawers are indicated at 11 merely by way of illustration.

In the preferred embodiment each of the permanent leg members 7 and 8 (and the corresponding legs at the opposite end of the desk) comprises a tube of rectangular cross section as clearly appears in FIG. 2. Each separable outer leg member 15 desirably comprises, in each instance, an outer tubular portion 16 of cross section comparable to that of the permanent leg member. Fitted within this outer tube 16 is an inner leg tube 17 having the function of a dowel and telescopically receivable into the socketed end of the permanent leg to the extent permitted by an ornamental spacing collar 18 such as there is shown in FIG. 1. This collar is removable and has an opening at 19 equal in cross section to the external dimensions of the inner leg or dowel portion 17 of the separable leg unit. In assembly, the inner leg 17 is inserted through the opening 19 of the collar 18 and is then inserted into the socket opening 20 in the interior of the permanent leg.

The inner leg or dowel 17 desirably has one or more blisters or embossed protuberances at 21, two being used in practice if the leg elements are rectangular in cross sect-ion as shown. In practice these are only .006 inch in height, this figure being given by way of example, and not by way of limitation. These blisters are deformed slightly inwardly in the assembly of the dowel portion 17 of the separable leg into the receiving socket provided by the permanent leg portion of the desk. This holds the separable leg portion frictionally in place while, at the same time, permitting ready withdrawal under manually applied tension.

The thickness of the ornamental spacing collars 18 will determine the overall height of the desk. Use of a slightly thicker or slightly thinner collar will make any height adjustment normally required to adjust the desk to the needs of a particular user.

.The bottom of each of the removable desk leg portions 15 may be equipped with a glide member 23 of any desired type. This may be fixed or may be adjustable for leveling the desk in accordance with conventional practice.

In a particular desk exemplifying this invention the pedestal is made slightly shorter in height than is conventional in order to enhance the very significant reduction in height which is possible by removal of the separable leg portions and collars. It will be observed that the permanent leg portions extend only to the bottom of the pedestal. Thus, with the separable leg portions all removed, the height of the desk structure is equal only to the height of the pedestal plus the thickness of the desk top. In actual practice this may reduce the capacity of the required shipping carton by approximately one-third.

When the desk has been removed from its carton it may be manipulated through practically any standard door with great ease. Yet the insertion of the telescopically engageable separable leg elements requires only a moment and is achieved manually without tools.

Those skilled in the art will understand that it is unnecessary that the permanent leg portion of the desk be attached to a pedestal and also that it is immaterial whether a pedestal, if any, is provided with drawers.

I claim:

1. A desk comprising the combination with a desk top and a pedestal therebeneath, of legs for supporting the top and the pedestal and comprising permanent leg members disposed beside the pedestal in supporting relation to the top, and having lower ends substantially at the level of the bottom of the pedestal, and separable leg members detachably connected with respective permanent leg members and respectively aligned therewith, one of the said members of each such leg being socketed and the other having an inner dowel element projecting from its end and receivable into the socket of the one leg member of such leg to maintain the permanent and separable leg members of each such leg in mutual alignment, and a spacing collar of thickness sufiicient to affect materially the overall height of the combined permanent and separable leg members and through which the dowel extends and which is removably interposed between the permanent leg member and the separable leg member of each such leg, the spacing collar being fitted to the dowel element and engaged by both of said leg members and constituting both a spacer and an ornamental trim concealing the joint between said leg members.

2. A desk comprising the combination with a desk top and a pedestal therebeneath, of legs for supporting the top and the pedestal and comprising permanent leg members 3 disposed beside the pedestal in supporting relation to the top, and having lower ends substantially at the level of the bottom of the pedestal, and separable leg members detachably connected with respective permanent leg members andrespectively aligned therewith, one of the said members "of each such leg being socketed and the other having an inner dowel element projecting from its end and receivable into the, socket of the one leg member of such leg to maintain the permanent and separable leg members of each such leg in mutual alignment, and a spacing collar of thickness suflicie-nt to affect materially the overall height of the combined permanent and separable leg members and through which the dowel extends and which is interposed between the permanent leg member and the separable leg member of each such leg, thespacing collar being fitted to the dowel element and engaged by both of said leg members and constituting both a spacer and an ornamental tnim concealing the joint between said legm-embers, the permanent mern bers of the said legs having a panel extending between them outside of the pedestal, the permanent leg members and separable leg members being tubular and rectangular in cross section and the dowel and collar likewise being of rectangular cross section.

3. A desk according to claim 1 in which said spacing collar is interchangeable with like spacing collars of dilferent thickness, said dowelrbeing tubular and provided with a side wall portion having a plurality of outwardly projecting protuberances constituting means for frictionally retaining said dowel element in assembly with a socketed member with which the dowel element is telescopically engaged.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 640,960 Seely Jan. 9, 1900 1,482,205 U=hl I an. 29, 1924 1,493,434 Hensley May 6, 1924 1,533,494 Billburg April 14, 1925 1,865,603 Wi-tke et a1 July 5, 1932 1,933,074 Richardson Oct. 31, 1933 2,431,711 Scott Dec. 2, 1947 2,852,883 Walsh Sept. 23, 1958 

1. A DESK COMPRISING THE COMBINATION WITH A DESK TOP AND A PEDESTAL THEREBENEATH, OF LEGS FOR SUPPORTING THE TOP AND THE PEDESTAL AND COMPRISING PERMANENT LEG MEMBERS DISPOSED BESIDE THE PEDESTAL IN SUPPORTING RELATION TO THE TOP, AND HAVING LOWER ENDS SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE LEVEL OF THE BOTTOM OF THE PEDESTAL, AND SEPARABLE LEG MEMBERS DETACHABLY CONNECTED WITH RESPECTIVE PERMANENT LEG MEMBERS AND RESPECTIVELY ALIGNED THEREWITH, ONE OF THE SAID MEMBERS OF EACH SUCH LEG BEING SOCKETED AND THE OTHER HAVING AN INNER DOWEL ELEMENT PROJECTING FROM ITS END AND RECEIVABLE INTO THE SOCKET OF THE ONE LEG MEMBER OF SUCH LEG TO MAINTAIN THE PERMANENT AND SEPARABLE LEG MEMBERS OF EACH SUCH LEG IN MUTUAL ALIGNMENT, AND A SPACING COLLAR OF THICKNESS SUFFICIENT TO AFFECT MATERIALLY THE OVERALL HEIGHT OF THE COMBINED PERMANENT AND SEPARABLE LEG MEMBERS AND THROUGH WHICH THE DOWEL EXTENDS AND WHICH IS REMOVABLY INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE PERMANENT LEG MEMBER AND THE SEPARABLE LEG MEMBER OF EACH SUCH LEG, THE SPACING COLLAR BEING FITTED TO THE DOWEL ELEMENT AND ENGAGED BY BOTH OF SAID LEG MEMBERS AND CONSTITUTING BOTH A SPACER AND AN ORNAMENTAL TRIM CONCEALING THE JOINT BETWEEN SAID LEG MEMBERS. 